Resize Your Logo for Twitter with GIMP

Modify your Twitter avatar with open source GIMP.
... Jupiterimages/Stockbyte/Getty Images

The open source Gnu Image Manipulation Program, otherwise known as “GIMP,” competes with high-end image editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop, when comparing features and tools. If you have a saved copy of your Twitter logo picture on your computer, you can use GIMP to resize the avatar to a specific size. Once you have resized the image, you can then re-upload image to Twitter to use as your profile photo. Twitter avatars are automatically resized to 48 x 48. To retain the quality of your image, resize the photo to match these dimensions.

1 Resize Image

2 Right click

Right-click on the photo file that you use as your Twitter avatar, then click “Open With.” Click “GIMP” to open the photo in the GIMP application.

3 Click the Image option in the top navigation menu

Click the “Image” option in the top navigation menu, then click “Scale Image” to open the Scale Image dialog box.

4 Delete the characters

Delete the characters in the “Width” field, then type the desired width for the resized image. The height changes proportionally to the width as long as the Chain icon is intact. To unlink the Height and Width fields so you can edit the dimensions independently, click the “Chain” icon. The Chain icon changes to a broken link. Delete the characters in the “Height” field, then type the desired height for the resized image. Note that changing these values independent of one another can result in a distorted image.

5 Click the Scale ” button

Click the “Scale” button. The image resizes to your specifications.

6 Click the File option in the top navigation menu

Click the “File” option in the top navigation menu, then click “Save” to save the image with the original file name and format. Click “Save As,” then select a different file format from the File Type drop-down box, if desired. Click”Save” to save the file.

7 Upload to Twitter

8 Log in to Twitter

Log in to Twitter, then click the gear icon to open the Settings menu, then click the “Profile” tab.

9 Click the Change Photo option

Click the “Change Photo” option next to your current avatar, then click the “Upload a Photo” option. Browse to the resized photo on your hard drive, then click “Open.” The photo uploads to Twitter.

10 Click Apply

Click “Apply.” The resized photo is applied as your Twitter profile photo and a confirmation message is displayed.

  • Information provided in this article applies to GIMP, version 2 for Windows. Instructions may vary slightly or significantly for other versions of the software.
  • To change the unit of measure from pixels to inches, click the “Pixels” drop-down box, then click “Inches” in the GIMP Scale Image dialog box. You can then type the Width and Height dimensions in inches.

Randall Blackburn has worked for several Fortune 1000 companies as a technical writer over the past seven years. He has produced a wide variety of technical documentation, including detailed programming specifications and research papers. Randall has also acquired several years' experience writing web content. Randall lives and works in Austin, TX.

×